The invention relates to a scanning system based on the principle of confocal microscopy. Such scanning systems are used for scanning an object and enable both scanning of a point along an axis (two-dimensional scanning), and scanning of a surface disposed about an axis (three-dimensional scanning). Thus, such a device is suitable for a point sensor and a surface sensor. The invention relates in particular to free-hand intraoral scanning of uncoated teeth with a high degree of accuracy.